Report: Wing of Yosemite fire air tanker tore off

Federal investigators say a California firefighting aircraft that crashed while battling a wildfire in Yosemite National Park might have struck a tree and torn off a wing as it approached the blaze.

The crash last week killed the plane’s sole crew member, pilot Craig Hunt, and led to a temporary grounding of the state’s remaining 22 air tankers. Hunt was an employee of DynCorp which was contracted by CalFire. The plane was based out of Hollister.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday the twin-engine S-2T air tanker was destroyed when it hit a mountainside and by a subsequent fire.

The agency’s findings about the potential cause of the Oct. 7 crash are preliminary, and a more complete investigation is ongoing. A final report likely will take months.

The tanker was dropping retardant on a fire climbing a steep canyon wall near the Yosemite’s west entrance.